Method of manufacturing a display plate and display apparatus

ABSTRACT

A primitive display plate includes a supporting portion having a positioning structure formed to be positioned by engagement with another member, a display plate shape portion formed to have a predetermined positional relation to the positioning structure and to have the planar shape of a display plate to be manufactured, and a connecting portion for integrally connecting the display plate shape portion and the supporting portion, and wherein an ink-receiving layer is formed on the surface of the display plate shape portion, for holding the received ink droplets thereby.

CONTINUING APPLICATION DATA

[0001] This application is a divisional of 09/807,545 filed Apr. 12,2001, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates to a primitive display plate and amethod of manufacturing a display plate, and a method of manufacturing adisplay apparatus, and particularly to a manufacturing techniquesuitable for manufacturing a timepiece dial.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] In general, in manufacturing a wristwatch, a desired surfacepattern (including numeric characters, characters, time scales, etc.) isformed in a predetermined design on the surface of a metal plate bycoating, printing or surface treatment, and separated in a predeterminedshape to form a dial. The dial is then attached to a timepiece movement,and finally set in a watch case. As a method of forming the desiredsurface pattern on the dial, pad printing, screen printing, offsetprinting, and the like, which are described in Special Printing (writtenby Kazuo Matsumoto, issued by Insatsu Shuppan Kenkyusho), Introductionto Special Printing (written by Ichiro Ikeda, issued by Society ofPrinting, Editing Section), etc. are frequently used. In these printingmethods, a block copy is created by a photomechanical technique and isused for each print color.

[0004] However, the conventional method of forming a dial is suitablefor forming a great number of dials having a predetermined design, butin multi-kind and small-quantity production, which has been recentlyincreasingly required, the method requires the creation of a plate ateach change of the design, thereby increasing the production cost andrequiring more time before the start of production. Thus it requires, atleast, about 1 to 2 weeks before the delivery date. Particularly, awatch provided with an original pattern has been recently increasinglyrequired. In this case, the number of the products is small enough tofurther increase the production cost per product, and delivery of awatch having a dial having a required pattern within a short time isvery difficult because more time is required for forming a plate.

[0005] In displaying a character on the dial, in some cases, many platesare needed because five colors or more are required, thereby inevitablyincreasing the production cost and delaying the delivery date.Particularly, in printing after the formation of each of the dialshapes, more time is required for positioning a plurality of plates anda dial, and color matching, thereby requiring a skilled worker.

[0006] Furthermore, in printing on the dial, a general-purpose printingapparatus cannot be easily used, thus an expensive special machine isrequired, and an installation place for the special machine must besecured, causing the need for steps taken against noise and dust duringan operation of the machine. In addition, the printing step requires theuse of a printing ink using an organic solvent and a cleaning solution,thereby requiring environmental measures and safety and health measuresand creating heavy incidental equipment costs.

[0007] Accordingly, the present invention has been achieved for solvingthe above problems, and an object of the present invention is to providea novel primitive display plate, and methods of manufacturing a displayplate and a display apparatus, which are capable of rapidlymanufacturing a display plate having a surface pattern having a requireddesign and a display apparatus comprising the display plate as variousdisplay plates such as a watch dial, which are capable of minimizing anincrease in the manufacturing cost by a simple work process, and whichare capable of decreasing equipment cost.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0008] In order to achieve the object, a primitive display plate of thepresent invention comprises a supporting portion comprising apositioning structure formed to be positioned by engagement with anothermember, a display plate shape portion formed to have a predeterminedpositional relation to the positioning structure and having the planarshape of a display plate to be manufactured, and a connecting portionfor connecting the display plate shape portion and the supportingportion, which are integrally provided, wherein an ink-receiving layeris formed on the surface of the display plate shape portion, for holdingreceived ink droplets thereby.

[0009] In the present invention, the supporting portion having thepositioning structure, and the display plate shape portion comprisingthe ink-receiving layer provided on the surface thereof are connectedthrough the connecting portion to permit ink jet system printing inwhich ink droplets are ejected onto the display plate shape portion onthe basis of the positioning structure, and permit separation of adisplay plate by cutting the connecting portion after printing.Therefore, an appropriate print pattern can be formed on the surface ofthe display plate without using a plate, thereby permitting the rapidmanufacture of the display plate while minimizing an increase inmanufacturing cost even under conditions of multi-kind andsmall-quantity production. By using the primitive display plate,printing and cutting of the connecting portion can be carried out bygeneral-purpose small equipment without using a special largemanufacturing equipment, and thus the display plate can be manufacturedin an appropriate place, thereby rapidly and flexibly complying withdemands of customers.

[0010] In the present invention, the surface of the connecting portionis preferably lower than the surface of the display plate shape portion.

[0011] In the present invention, since the surface of the connectingportion is lower than the surface of the display plate shape portion, itis possible to decrease damage such as a defect, peeling, swelling in aprinted pattern on the surface and a lower layer structure below theprinted pattern at the edge of the display plate shape portion even bycutting the connecting portion.

[0012] In the present invention, the ink-receiving layer is preferablynot formed on the positioning structure.

[0013] In the present invention, since the ink-receiving layer is notformed on the positioning structure, it is possible to decrease thepossibility of deteriorating the engagement precision of the positioningstructure due to the thickness of the ink-receiving layer, therebypositioning the display plate shape portion with high precision.

[0014] In the present invention, preferably, a coating layer is formedon the surface of the display plate shape portion, and the ink-receivinglayer is formed on the surface of the coating layer, the ink-receivinglayer being transparent or semitransparent.

[0015] In the present invention, since the ink-receiving layer is formedon the coating layer, and the ink-receiving layer is transparent orsemitransparent, the color tone, the texture, etc. of the coating layercan be observed through the ink-receiving layer, and thus the colortone, the texture, etc. of the printed pattern formed by adhering inkdroplets can be set in a wide range, thereby widening a variation ofappearance designs of the display plate, and increasing theexpressiveness of the display plate. Also, the surface of the coatinglayer can be formed with a color tone suitable for, for example,printing a white color (unpatterned) to improve the coloring property ofthe printed pattern and the reproducibility of the color tone, wherebythe color tone and pattern having high quality can be formed.

[0016] In the present invention, the positioning structure preferablycomprises a through hole formed in the supporting portion.

[0017] In the present invention, since the positioning portion comprisesa through hole, positioning can easily be performed with high precisionby simple positioning means such as a pin.

[0018] In the present invention, with the ink-receiving layer comprisinga porous surface, in some cases, the ink-receiving layer comprises amaterial having high absorbency for the ink droplets.

[0019] The primitive display plate of the present invention ispreferably formed from a shaped substrate. By using the shapedsubstrate, i.e., the substrate having a predetermined outer shape, acommon positioning jig or an apparatus having a common structure can beordinarily used, and thus the display plate shape portion can be easilyhandled in the printing step and the step of cutting the connectingportion, thereby decreasing the manufacturing cost.

[0020] A method of manufacturing a display plate of the presentinvention comprises: processing a primitive plate including a supportingportion comprising a positioning structure formed to be positioned byengagement with another member on the basis of the positioning portionto form a display plate shape portion having the planar shape of adisplay plate to be manufactured and a connecting portion for connectingthe display plate shape portion to the supporting portion; forming anink-receiving layer on the surface of the display plate shape portion;ejecting and adhering a plurality of ink droplets to the ink-receivinglayer on the basis of the positioning structure to form a surfacepattern corresponding to a desired image pattern; and cutting theconnecting portion to separate the display plate.

[0021] In the present invention, the ink-receiving layer is preferablynot formed on the positioning structure.

[0022] In the present invention, the surface of the connecting portionis preferably lower than the display plate shape portion.

[0023] In the present invention, the image pattern is preferably inputto a computer or stored in the computer, output data is formed withcorrespondence between electronic data corresponding to the imagepattern and the position data corresponding to the display plate shapeportion to transmit the output data from the computer to an ink jetprinting apparatus which can print a predetermined pattern by ejectingthe ink droplets and which can perform positioning by engagement withthe positioning structure so that the ink jet printing apparatus isdriven according to the output data to form the surface pattern on thedisplay plate shape portion with the positioning structure engaged withthe positioning portion.

[0024] In the present invention, an appropriate image pattern can beprinted on the display plate shape portion according to the desire of amanufacturer or a customer by the ink jet printing apparatus withoutusing a conventional plate, whereby an increase in the manufacturingcost can be prevented even in small-quantity production, and the displayplate can be rapidly manufactured with the desired printed pattern. Inaddition, the printed pattern is positioned relative to the displayplate shape portion by using the position data input from the computer,and thus a positioning work can easily be carried out during printingonly by engaging the positioning structure with the positioning portionof the ink jet printing apparatus, thereby avoiding complexity of thework.

[0025] In the present invention, position and shape data of the displayplate shape portion is preferably input to the computer or stored in thecomputer so that the image data is superposed on the display plate shapedisplayed on the basis of the position and shape data to form theposition data in correspondence with the electronic data correspondingto the image pattern.

[0026] In the present invention, the position data of the image patterncan be formed by superposing the desired image pattern on the positionand shape data, and thus the printed pattern corresponding to the imagepattern can be formed in the desired size at the desired positionaccording to the desire of the worker in the manual method ofsuperposing both patterns, and formed in the desired size at the desiredposition previously set under predetermined conditions in the automaticmethod of superposing both patterns. Furthermore, printing can beperformed after the superposed state is recognized, and thus thefinished state can be previously estimated, thereby manufacturing adisplay plate according to demand.

[0027] In the present invention, a first image component and a secondimage component, which are separately obtained or formed, are preferablysuperposed and synthesized by the computer to form the image pattern.

[0028] In the present invention, since an original image pattern of theprinted pattern of the display plate is formed by superposing andsynthesizing the first image component and the second image componentusing the computer, one or a plurality of shaped patterns can besuperposed on any other desired pattern to easily edit the printedpattern of the display plate. For example, in manufacturing a timepiecedial as the display plate, a functional pattern comprising numericalcharacters for time display, other characters, scales, logos, etc. ispreviously set as the shaped pattern, and a decorative patterncomprising a picture or the like as any desired pattern is superposed onthe shaped pattern so that the printed pattern of the dial can be formedby a simple operation.

[0029] In the present invention, preferably, the position and shape dataof the display plate shape portion is input to or stored in thecomputer, and the first image component and the second image componentare superposed on and synthesized with the display plate shape formedbased on the position and shape data to form the image pattern and theposition data in correspondence with the electronic data correspondingto the image pattern.

[0030] A method of manufacturing a display apparatus of the presentinvention comprises: forming a display plate by the method ofmanufacturing a display plate; and incorporating the display plate in anapparatus.

[0031] In this case, preferably, the steps for the formation of theink-receiving layer on the primitive plate are carried out in amanufacturing place such as a factory, and the primitive plate istransferred to a sales base such as a sales center or a store so thatthe image pattern is formed or selected in the sales base, and printingis also performed in the sales base.

[0032] A primitive display plate of the present invention has theabove-described construction and is used as a timepiece dial.

[0033] A primitive display plate of the present invention has theabove-described construction and is used as a date dial of a timepiece.

[0034] A primitive display plate of the present invention has theabove-described construction and is used as a day-of-week dial of atimepiece.

[0035] In the present invention, the timepiece dial, the date dialpermitting display of dates through a window provided on the dial, orthe day-of-week dial permitting display of day of the week through thewindow provided on the dial is formed by using the primitive displayplate having the above construction to permit the formation of anappropriate printed pattern on the surface of the watch display platewithout using a conventional plate, whereby the watch dial, the datedial of a watch, or the day-of-week dial of a watch can be easily andrapidly manufactured while keeping down the manufacturing cost evenunder conditions of multi-kind and small-quality production.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIGS. 1(a) to (d) are plan views of a primitive display plate anda state in which ink-jet printing is performed on the primitive displayplate, illustrating the steps of a process for manufacturing a primitivedisplay plate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIGS. 2(a) to (d) are sectional views of a primitive displayplate and a state in which ink-jet printing is performed on theprimitive display plate, illustrating the steps of the process formanufacturing a primitive display plate in accordance with the sameembodiment of the present invention.

[0038]FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the schematicstructure of a printing apparatus for ink jet printing.

[0039] FIGS. 4(a) and (b) are schematic block diagrams illustrating thecomponents as examples for manufacturing a wristwatch using theprimitive display plate of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0040]FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing schematically showing an editingscreen in editing step 1 for forming printing data in accordance withthe embodiment.

[0041]FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing schematically showing an editingscreen in editing step 2 for forming printing data in accordance withthe embodiment.

[0042]FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing schematically showing an editingscreen in editing step 3 for forming printing data in accordance withthe embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0043] A primitive display plate, a method of manufacturing a displayplate, and a method of manufacturing a display apparatus in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detailbelow with reference to the attached drawings.

[0044] FIGS. 1(a), (b) and (c) are drawings illustrating the steps formanufacturing a primitive display plate in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention, FIG. 1(d) is a drawing illustrating the statein which printing is performed on the primitive display plate for awatch dial, and FIGS. 2(a) to (d) are sectional views illustrating thesteps corresponding to FIGS. 1(a) to (d), respectively.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 2(a), positioning pilot holes 11 areformed at predetermined positions, preferably in the periphery of ashaped substrate 10. The shaped substrate 10 can be formed by using anydesired material, for example, various metal plates of aluminum,stainless steel, brass, nickel silver, and the like, hard plasticplates, ceramic plates. As shown in the drawings, the planar shape ofthe shaped substrate 10 is preferably a substantially rectangular shapein order to improve the handling property and positioning property. Forexample, the substrate generally has a 40-mm square shape having athickness of about 0.35 mm. The pilot holes 11 constitute a positioningstructure for positioning the shaped substrate 10, and preferablycomprise a plurality of holes. In this embodiment, a pair of the pilotholes 11 is formed at the diagonal positions in the marginal portion ofthe shaped substrate 10. The pilot holes 11 are easily be formed by, forexample, press stamping.

[0046] In this state, as shown in FIG. 2(b), in some cases, support legs15 are attached to the central portion of the back of the shapedsubstrate 10 to project therefrom, for fixing a watch dial to the baseplate of a movement which will be described later. The support legs 15are inserted into mounting holes, which are not shown in the drawingsand formed based on the formation positions of the pilot holes 11, andfixed to project from the back of the shaped substrate 10 by a methodsuch as point welding. In a case in which another engagement structureis provided for fixing the watch dial described below to the movement(for example, when an adhesive layer is provided on the back), thesupport legs 15 need not be provided.

[0047] Next, predetermined processes are carried out on the shapedsubstrate 10 on the basis of the formation positions of the pilot holes11. One of the processes comprises forming circular-arc slits 10 a and10 b in the central portion of the shaped substrate 10 to form a displayplate shape portion 12 corresponding to the planar shape of the watchdial, as shown in FIG. 1(b). The display plate shape portion 12 isconnected to a supporting portion 13 including the pilot holes 11 by tiebars 14 serving as connecting portions. In this embodiment, in order tointegrally and securely connect the display plate shape portion 12 andthe supporting portion 13, a plurality of the tie bars 14 are preferablyprovided by forming a plurality of circular-arc slits in the shapedsubstrate 10. In the example shown in the drawings, the circular-arcslits 10 a and 10 b are formed to have a central angle of about 180degrees, and a pair of the tie bars 14 are consequently provided atdiagonal positions on the periphery of the display plate shape portion12.

[0048] The tie bars 14 are then subjected to surface processing such ascutting or the like so that the surface positions thereof are lower thanthe surface of the display plate shape portion 12 by a step, as shown inFIG. 2(b). This processing is also carried out on the basis of theformation positions of the pilot holes 11. In the example shown in thedrawings, steps are formed between the surfaces of the tie bars 14 andthe surfaces of the display plate shape portion 12 and the supportingportion 13.

[0049] Then, in order to improve corrosion resistance or the appearanceof the watch dial, a coating layer 16 is formed on the surface of theshaped substrate 10 by plating or coating. For example, as the coatinglayer 16, an anti-corrosion plated layer (for example, Ni—P electrolessplating or electroplating) is formed to a thickness of 1 μm on thesurface of the shaped substrate 10, and then a decorative-plated layer(for example, silver electroless plating or electroplating) is formed onthe anti-corrosion layer, and a transparent coating material such asacrylic clear lacquer is coated to form a transparent coating (forprotecting the decorative plated layer). Alternatively, as the coatinglayer 16, the anti-corrosion plated layer may be formed according todemand, and then an acrylic melanine white coating material may becoated to form a white coating. By forming the white coating, a base forink jet printing, which will be describe later, can be whitened, and acolor tone having good printability can be obtained. In any case, wherethe shaped substrate 10 comprises an anti-corrosion material (aluminum,stainless steel, or the like), the anti-corrosion plated layer need notbe provided, and an appropriate base layer may be formed for improvingadhesion (or peeling resistance) of the coating layer 16 to the shapedsubstrate 10.

[0050] Next, an ink-receiving layer 17 shown in FIGS. 1(c) and FIG. 2(c)is formed on the surface of the display plate shape portion 12. FIG.1(c) shows the formation region of the ink-receiving layer 17 byshadowing. As the ink-receiving layer 17, a porous layer or a waterabsorption layer comprising an inorganic compound or an organic compoundcan be used.

[0051] For example, an organometallic compound such as tetraethylsilicate, triisopropoxyaluminum is dissolved in water oralcohol-containing water to form a sol solution by hydrolysis, and thethus-formed sol solution is coated on the surface of the display plateshape portion 12, dried, and then burned to form the ink-receiving layer17 having a porous surface. In this case, by adding an oxide fine powderof silicon oxide or the like to the sol solution, pores can beefficiently formed in the porous surface.

[0052] Alternatively, inorganic particles are dispersed in a solutionformed by dissolving a water-soluble polymer in water oralcohol-containing water to form a suspension, and the thus-formedsuspension is coated and then dried to form the ink-receiving layer 17.In this case, as the water-soluble polymer, starch, gelatin, gum arabic,sodium alginate, carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, sodium polyacrylate, polyacrylamide, polyurethane,polyester, polyvinyl acetal, or the like can be used. As the inorganicparticles, silica, calcium sulfate, clay, diatomaceous earth, calciumcarbonate, barium sulfate, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, titanium white,aluminum silicate, magnesium silicate, magnesium hydroxide, lithopone,alumina, zeolite, colloidal silica, colloidal alumina, or the like canbe used.

[0053] In a case in which the above-described coating layer 16 is notformed, the surface of the shaped substrate 10 may be made porous bysurface treatment with an appropriate chemical solution or electrolyticaction, or in a case in which the coating layer 16 is formed, thecoating layer 16 may be made porous by the same treatment. The surfaceof an aluminum substrate can be made porous by any of various methodsusing an electrolyte. For example, the substrate can be electrolyzed ina sulfuric acid solution using a platinum electrode as a counterelectrode to obtain a fine porous surface. In this case, theink-receiving layer 17 is formed as a surface layer of the shapedsubstrate 10 or of the coating layer 16.

[0054] In this embodiment, the ink-receiving layer 17 is exclusivelyformed only on the surface of the display plate shape portion 12.Therefore, it is possible to prevent the dimensions of the pilot holes11 formed in the supporting portion 13 from being changed by adhesion ofthe ink-receiving layer 17, or surface treatment for forming theink-receiving layer 17, thereby avoiding deterioration in the precisionof positioning by the pilot holes 11. This is because the fact that informing the ink-receiving layer 17 by coating, the ink-receiving layer17 is generally coated to a thickness of as large as about 40 to 80 μm,which may significantly deteriorate the precise shape of the pilot holes11 if the ink-receiving layer 17 is also formed at the opening edges ofthe pilot holes 11. Although, in the embodiment shown in the drawings,the ink-receiving layer 17 is exclusively formed only on the surface ofthe display plate shape portion 12, the ink-receiving layer 17 may beformed except in the vicinities (the opening edges) of the pilot holes11 in the supporting portion 13, i.e., on the portions of the surfacesof the display plate shape portion 12, the tie bars 14, and thesupporting portion 13 except the opening edges of the pilot holes 11. Asthe method of partially forming the ink-receiving layer 17 as describedabove, screen printing can be used.

[0055] Since the ink-receiving layer 17 can be formed as a transparentor semitransparent film, the coating layer 16 formed below theink-receiving layer 17 can be used as a color tone base for ink-jetprinting which will be described below. As a material for forming thetransparent or semitransparent film (the ink-receiving layer 17), forexample, an aqueous solution of sodium polyacrylate in which magnesiumsilicate is dispersed, a coating solution formed by adding polyvinylalcohol and water to an alumina sol, or the like can be used. In thiscase, the coating layer 16 is formed to have a white surface so that thesame good color tone as that obtained by ink-jet printing on white paperdescribed below can be obtained.

[0056] The primitive display plate (the shaped substrate 10) shown inFIGS. 1(c) and 2(c), which is formed as described above, comprises thepilot holes 11 serving as the positioning structure for positioning theprimitive plate itself, and the display plate shape portion 12 formed atthe predetermined position based on the pilot holes 11, and furthercomprises the ink-receiving layer 17 formed on the surface of thedisplay plate shape portion 12. The pilot holes 11 facilitatepositioning of the shaped substrate 10 and the display plate shapeportion 12, and the presence of the ink-receiving layer 17 permits anappropriate printing system (simply referred to as “ink-jet printing”hereinafter) in which, like in printing on the surface of theink-receiving layer 17 by using an ink jet printer, ink droplets areejected to form a pattern. FIGS. 1(d) and 2(d) show the state in which aprinted layer 18 is formed on the surface of the ink-receiving layer 17by the ink-jet printing. The printed layer 18 may be formed on a portionof the surface of the display plate shape portion 12, formed over theentire surface thereof, or formed to extend from the surface of thedisplay plate shape portion 12 to the surfaces of the tie bars 14 andthe supporting portion 13. After the ink-jet printing, the tie bars 14are cut by means of a simple tool such as a nipper or the like toseparate the display plate shape portion 12 from the supporting portion13.

[0057]FIG. 3 is a drawing schematically illustrating the schematicstructure of an ink jet system printing apparatus 30 such as an ink jetprinter. In the use of the printing apparatus 30, a positioning jig 32is fixed on a sheet 31 comprising, for example, predetermined paper, bya bonding method or the like, and positioning pins 32 a provided on thepositioning jig 32 are inserted into the pilot holes 11 to position theshaped substrate 10 on the positioning jig 32. The printing apparatus 30further comprises a feed mechanism 33 including feed rollers for feedingthe sheet 31 in the direction of arrow F. On the other hand, an ink jethead 34 which can be moved in the direction of arrow G by a head drivingmechanism 35 is arranged above the feed mechanism 33. The ink jet head34 is a known one in which the volume of an ink chamber, not shown inthe drawing, provided in the ink jet head 34 is reduced by, for example,deformation of an electrically driven piezo element to eject a part ofthe ink supplied to the ink chamber as ink droplets through a dischargenozzle, not shown in the drawing. One or a plurality of the ink chambersand the discharge nozzles corresponding to the chambers are provided,and particularly in color printing, a plurality of inks (for example,cyan, magenta, yellow, black) having color tones are supplied to therespective ink chambers so that ink droplets having a desired color tonecan be appropriately discharged from the corresponding nozzle accordingto the print pattern.

[0058] In the case shown in FIG. 3, in the ink-jet printing, theprinting position is set by detecting the position of the sheet 31 by anoptical sensor of the printing apparatus 30 not shown in the drawing sothat the feed mechanism 33 and the head driving mechanism 35 areoperated according to the printing position to discharge ink droplets tothe surface of the display plate shape portion 12. At this time, theshaped substrate 10 is positioned relative to the positioning jig 32 byengagement between the pilot holes 11 and the positioning pins 32 a.Since the positioning jig 32 is fixed at the predetermined positionrelative to the sheet 31, the ink-jet printing is carried out with thedisplay plate shape portion 12 positioned indirectly by the positioningjig 32 and the sheet 31. In this case, the positions of the pilot holes11 of the shaped substrate 10 may be grasped by recognizing an imageinput to an imaging device such as a CCD camera so that the feedmechanism 33 and the head driving mechanism 35 of the printing apparatus30 are driven according to the data about the position.

[0059] Although ink in which any of various known dyes or pigments isdispersed can be used as an ink in the ink-jet printing, an ink in whicha pigment is dispersed for improving the coloring property and the lightresistance of a print pattern is preferably used as the ink for thewatch dial or other dials. There are various inorganic pigments, organicpigments, etc. Examples of inorganic pigments include titanium oxide,iron oxide, and carbon black. Examples of organic pigments include azopigments (azo lake, insoluble azo pigments, condensed azo pigments,chelate azo pigments, and the like), polycyclic pigments (for example,phthalocyanine pigments, perylene pigments, anthraquinone pigments,quinacridon pigments, dioxazine pigments, thioindigo pigments,isoindolinone pigments, quinofuran pigments), dye chelates (for example,basic dye type chelates, acid dye type chelates), nitro pigments,nitroso pigments, aniline black, and the like.

[0060] Any one of the above pigments is preferably added as a pigmentdispersed solution to the ink, the dispersed solution being obtained bydispersing in an aqueous medium using a dispersant or a surfactant. As apreferred example of the dispersant, a conventional dispersant used forpreparing a pigment dispersed solution, for example, a polymerdispersant can be used. The amount of the pigment added to the ink ispreferably about 0.5% by weight to 25% by weight, and more preferably 2%by weight to 15% by weight. A pigment ink composition can be generallyproduced by adding predetermined amounts of a pigment, the dispersant, asolvent for imparting a moisturizing function, and mixing the resultantmixture by a dispersing machine such as a ball mill.

[0061] The above-described ink containing the pigment is printed on thesurface of the ink-receiving layer 17 by the ink-jet printing tosecurely maintain the ink droplets at the adhesion positions, therebyobtaining excellent ink fixing properties (resistance to color blurringand ink separation) without deteriorating the color of the pigment. Itis thus possible to form a good surface pattern, and obtain sufficientlight resistance as a dial such as a watch dial.

[0062] After the ink-jet printing, the printed surface of the displayplate shape portion 12 is preferably coated with a protecting filmhaving light transmittance. The protecting film may be a film obtainedby coating clear lacquer or the like on the display plate shape portion12, or a light transmissive film previously formed and adhered to theprinted surface. Also, the protecting film may be not completelytransparent, and like a semitransparent plate or scatter plate, theprotecting film may function to partially inhibit the travel of light.As a transparent coating material for forming the protecting film, anacrylic or cellulose clear lacquer, or the like can be used. Since theprotecting film can improve the sealing performance for the printedsurface, deterioration, discoloration, moisture absorption, etc. of theprinted surface and a lower layer can be prevented.

[0063] Also, the surface of the display plate shape portion 12 may besubjected to additional surface treatment for display or decorationbefore or after the above-described step of forming the printed layer18. In such surface treatment, in some cases, a member comprisingdisplay scales, numerical characters, characters, and other patterns, ora decorative member is fixed by adhesion, bonding, welding or the like.For example, a member comprising a conductor is formed in apredetermined planar pattern by electrodeposition, and held on asupporting sheet so that the member can be transferred to the surface ofthe display plate shape portion from the supporting sheet.

[0064] Furthermore, an adhesive layer is preferably formed on the backof the display plate shape portion 12, for adhering the display plateshape portion 12 to another member (for example, a movement of a watch),and the adhesive layer is preferably coated with a separating sheet. Inthis case, the separating sheet is separated from the manufactured dialso that it can easily be adhered to another member. The adhesive layercan be formed by using a known pressure-sensitive adhesive.

[0065] Next, the above-described ink-jet printing is carried out, andthe display plate shape portion 12 on which the protecting film isformed according to demand is separated from the supporting portion 13by cutting the tie bars 14 to obtain a watch dial. The tie bars 14 canbe simply cut by using a tool such as a nipper.

[0066] Since the tie bars 14 are formed so that the surfaces thereof arelower than the surface of the display plate shape portion 12, no cutsurface is formed on the surface side at the edge of the display plateshape portion 12, thereby preventing cutting damage (chipping, cracking,swelling, peeling, or the like) to the surface side portion at the edgeof the display plate shape portion 12, thus hiding the raw materialtexture (the exposed portion of the raw material constituting the shapedsubstrate 10) of the display plate shape portion 12, which appears inthe cut surface. In this case, since the surfaces of the tie bars 14 arelower than the surface of the display plate shape portion 12, any one ofthe coating layer 16, the ink-receiving layer 17, and the printed layer18 can be formed to coat the outer edge side of the display plate shapeportion 12 even at the edge of the display plate shape portion 12connected to the tie bars 14, as shown in FIG. 2. In this case, the rawmaterial of the shaped substrate 10 can be hidden at the edge of thewatch dial after separation.

[0067] Although, in the above embodiment, the tie bars 14 are formed atthe two diagonal positions on the periphery of the display plate shapeportion 12, the tie bars 14 may be formed at three or more appropriatepositions. By forming the tie bars 14 at a plurality of positions, thedisplay plate shape portion 12 can stably remain connected to thesupporting portion 13.

[0068] Next, the method of manufacturing a display apparatus (forexample, a watch (wristwatch)) including the dial by using the primitivedisplay plate (the shaped substrate 10) will be described in detailbelow. This manufacturing method comprises ink-jet printing on thedisplay plate shape portion 12 of the primitive display plate, cuttingthe tie bars 14 to separate the dial, and then incorporating the dialinto a display device to complete the display apparatus.

[0069] In accordance with an embodiment, the manufacturing methodcomprises forming the primitive display plate in the manufacturingplace, moving the primitive display plate to a sales place together withthe display apparatus before the dial is incorporated, or components ofthe display apparatus, appropriately IJ-printing on the display plateshape portion 12 in the sales place according to customer's demands,separating the dial in the sales place, and incorporating the dial intothe display apparatus (or assembling the display apparatus using thedial and other components). In this case, only the primitive displayplate is manufactured in the manufacturing place (a factory or thelike), and an appropriate pattern can be formed on the display plateshape portion 12 in the sales place (a business point, a store, or thelike) according to customer's demands to complete the display apparatusin the sales place. Therefore, it is possible to rapidly comply with thedemands of customers, and minimize an increase in the manufacturing costeven in multi-kind and small-quantity production.

[0070] In this case, if data about the positional relation between thepositioning structure such as the pilot holes 11 and the display plateshape portion 12 is input from the manufacturing place, printing can becarried out in the sales place while positioning the display plate shapeportion by the positioning structure based on the positional relationdata. Therefore, even when the size and shape of the dial are changed,or there are many kinds of sizes and shapes of dials, complicatedcalculation for positioning and a complicated positioning work processcan be avoided. In this case, the outer shape (i.e., the outer shape ofthe shaped substrate 10) of the primitive display plate is preferablykept constant to facilitate handling in the sales place. In the presentinvention, the outer shape of the primitive display plate need not bekept constant as long as the positional relation between the positioningstructure and the display plate shape portion is known.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 4, in manufacturing a wristwatch, a primitivedisplay plate 110 or 120 is manufactured from the shaped substrate 10 inthe manufacturing place, and transferred to the sales place togetherwith other components of the wristwatch, such as a watch case 211(preferably previously incorporated into a case body 2110 by the methodof pressing a window member 2111 through a plastic packing 2112 or thelike in the same manufacturing place or a different manufacturingplace), a movement 212, a case ring 213, a packing 214, a back cover215, a crown with a winding stem 216, and a hand 217 (in the case of apractical use wristwatch), a watch case 221, a movement 222, a case ring223, a packing 224, a back cover 225, a crown with a winding stem 226,and a hand 227 (in the case of a fashion wristwatch).

[0072] In the sales place, the ink-jet printing is carried out on thedisplay plate shape portion 112 or 122 while positioning it relative tothe primitive display plate 110 or 120 based on the positioningstructure 111 or 121, and then the protecting film is formed, and adisplay member or decorative member is attached according to demand,followed by separation of the display plate shape portion 112 or 122 toform a dial. Then, each of the dials is assembled with other componentsto complete a wristwatch. This assembly comprises, for example, mountingthe dial to the movement 212 or 222, attaching a hand 217 or 227 at thehand mounting portion (not shown) projecting from the movement 212 or222 through the central hole 10 c (FIG. 2) of the dial, incorporatingthe assembly into the watch case 211 or 221 together with the case ring213 or 223, and then mounting the back cover 215 or 225 through thepacking 214 or 224.

[0073] In the above-describe method, in the sales place, an appropriatepattern is printed on the display plate shape portion by ink-jetprinting according to the demands of customers. In this case, thepattern (including characters, symbols, any other planar shape) may bebrought into from the customer, or appropriately selected from aplurality of previously set patterns by the customer or the worker inthe sales place.

[0074] The procedure for printing the pattern by the ink-jet printingwill be described below. When the pattern is not computerized (notconverted into electronic data which can be read by a computer), thepattern brought into or selected as described above is converted intoelectronic data by image input means such as a scanner or a digitalcamera (CCD camera), and when the pattern is previously converted intoelectronic data, the data is input as a decorative image pattern to acomputer. In this case, a display device (CRT, a liquid crystal display,or the like) is connected to the computer so that a display area A isset in the display device, for editing the print pattern of the dial inthe form, for example, shown in FIG. 5.

[0075] In the computer, a display plate shape pattern (i.e., the planarshape pattern of a dial to be formed) G1, which indicates the planarshape of the display plate shape portion 112 or 122, is previouslystored as electronic data. The display plate shape pattern G1 includes,for example, the outer shape of a dial to be formed, and the shape of acentral hole thereof. Particularly, in the use of a plurality of displayplate shapes, as shown in FIG. 5, necessary data can be selected fromelectronic data about a plurality of the display plate shapes by anappropriate operation (for example, selecting any one from optionsdisplayed in operation region B which can be displayed in the displayarea A). In this embodiment, the selected display plate shape pattern G1is displayed on the screen of the display device, as shown in FIG. 5. Atthis time, predetermined position information which is set so that thedisplay plate shape pattern G1 displayed on the display screen agreeswith the position of the display plate shape portion 12 fixed on thepositioning jig 32 shown in FIG. 3 is prepared as position informationdata attached to the electronic data of the display plate shape patternG1 or another position information file corresponding to a file of theelectronic data.

[0076] In the computer, one or a plurality of electronic data about ashaped image pattern (for example, a character, scales, or a shapedpattern to be printed) G2 to be printed on the dial is previouslystored, and particularly a plurality of data are stored so that theelectronic data of the shaped image pattern G2 is selected by anappropriate operation (for example, by selecting any one from theoptions displayed in operation region C which can be displayed in thedisplay area A). The selected shaped image pattern G2 can beappropriately superposed on the display plate shape pattern G1 displayedon the display screen.

[0077] At the same time, preferably, the size and positioning positionof the shaped image pattern G2 can be automatically set incorrespondence with the size and shape of the display plate shapepattern G1. For example, the shaped image pattern G2, i.e., the patternmagnification, is calculated according to the pattern size of thedisplay plate shape pattern G1 to correct the size (for example,obtained by a file size or dimensional data previously stored asadditional information in a file) of the pattern, and the positioningposition of the shaped image pattern G2 is calculated in accordance withthe pattern size of the display plate shape pattern G1 to performpositioning. Alternatively, positioning is performed so that apredetermined position (for example, the origin or center) of the shapedimage pattern G2 agrees with the corresponding position (the origin orcenter) of the display plate shape pattern G1, whereby the shaped imagepattern G2 can be automatically superposed on the display plate shapepattern G1.

[0078] The display plate shape pattern G1 and the shaped image patternG2 may be previously formed as an integral display plate shape pattern.In this case, a plurality of patterns are preferably previously preparedby combinations of the display plate shape and shaped image patterns sothat any one can be selected therefrom.

[0079] Next, the decorative image pattern G3 prepared as described aboveis superposed on the display plate shape pattern G1 and the shaped imagepattern G2, as shown in FIG. 7. For the decorative image pattern G3, aplurality of data are preferably stored so that the electronic data ofany one of the plurality of the decorative image patterns G3 is selectedby another appropriate operation (for example, by selecting any one fromthe options displayed in operation region D which can be displayed inthe display area A), and the selected decorative image pattern G3 can beappropriately superposed on the display plate shape pattern G1 and theshaped image pattern G2. The superposing work is preferably performed byfreely controlling the size and position of the decorative image patternG3. However, particularly, the size and position of the decorative imagepattern G3 can be automatically determined according to the size andposition of the display plate shape pattern G1 and the shaped imagepattern G2 in the same manner as described above.

[0080] The synthetic image pattern obtained by superposing the shapedimage pattern G2 and the decorative image pattern G3 on the displayplate shape pattern G1 as described above is stored as electronic datain the computer, or converted into print data and transmitted to theprinting apparatus 30 shown in FIG. 3 without any processing. The printdata transmitted to the printing apparatus 30 includes pattern datacorresponding to the pattern contents of the synthetic image pattern,and position information data (generally the same as the positioninformation of the display plate shape pattern G1) which indicates theposition of the synthetic image pattern. The synthetic image pattern isprinted by the printing apparatus 30 based on the print data accordingto the position of the actual display plate shape portion.

[0081] The primitive display plate, and the methods of manufacturing adisplay plate and a display device of the present invention are notlimited to the above-described example (embodiment) shown in thedrawings, and, of course, various changes can be made in the scope ofthe gist of the present invention.

[0082] Although, in the embodiment, a watch dial and a wristwatchcomprising the dial are described as a typical example, the presentinvention can also be applied to display plates provided on decorativemembers and accessories, and display plates provided on display areas ofvarious display devices. Also, the display device is not limited to awristwatch and other watches; the present invention can also be appliedto various measurement apparatuses, electronic apparatuses, mechanicalapparatuses and devices, etc. Of course, the present invention can alsobe applied to a watch dial, a date dial for displaying dates through awindow provided on the dial of a watch, as well as a day-of-week dialfor displaying day of week.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0083] As described above, according to the present invention, asupporting portion comprising a positioning structure and a displayplate shape portion comprising an ink-receiving layer provided on thesurface thereof are integrally connected through a connecting portion topermit ink jet system printing in which ink droplets are ejected ontothe display plate shape portion based on the positioning structure sothat the display plate can be separated by cutting the connectingportion after printing. Therefore, an appropriate print pattern can beformed on the surface of the display plate without using a plate,thereby permitting the rapid manufacture of a display plate whilekeeping down the manufacturing cost even under conditions of multi-kindsmall-quantity production. By using the primitive display plate,printing and cutting of the connection portion can be performed bygeneral-purpose small equipment without using special largemanufacturing equipment. Therefore, a display plate can be manufacturedin an appropriate place, thereby rapidly and flexibly complying with thedemands of customers.

1. A method of manufacturing a display plate comprising the steps of:processing a primitive plate to form a supporting portion having apositioning structure, a display plate shape portion having a planarshape, and a connecting portion for connecting the display plate shapeportion to the supporting portion; forming an ink-receiving layer on thesurface of the display plate shape portion; ejecting and adhering aplurality of ink droplets onto the ink-receiving layer based on thepositioning structure to form a surface pattern corresponding to adesired image pattern; and cutting the connecting portion to separatethe display plate.
 2. A method of manufacturing a display plateaccording to claim 1, wherein the ink-receiving layer is formedexclusive of the positioning structure.
 3. A method of manufacturing adisplay plate according to claim 1, wherein a top surface of theconnecting portion is formed lower than a top surface of the displayplate shape portion.
 4. A method of manufacturing a display plateaccording to claim 1, further comprising inputting the image patterninto a computer or storing the image pattern in a computer, outputtingfrom the computer output data corresponding to the image pattern andposition data corresponding to the display plate shape portion,transmitting the output data from the computer to an ink jet printingapparatus, positioning the primitive plate in the ink jet printingapparatus by engagement of a positioning portion with the positioningstructure, driving the ink jet printing apparatus according to theoutput data to print a predetermined pattern by ejecting ink droplets toform the surface pattern on the display plate shape portion while thepositioning structure is engaged with the positioning portion.
 5. Amethod of manufacturing a display plate according to claim 1, furthercomprising inputting position and shape data of the display plate shapeportion into the computer or storing position and shape data in thecomputer, and superposing the image pattern on a display plate shape onthe basis of the position and shape data.
 6. A method of manufacturing adisplay plate according to claim 1, further comprising inputting intothe computer or storing in the computer a first image component and asecond image component, and superposing and synthesizing the first imagecomponent and the second image component using the computer to form theimage pattern.
 7. A method of manufacturing a display plate according toclaim 6, further comprising inputting position and shape data of thedisplay plate shape portion into the computer or storing position andshape data in the computer, and superposing the first image componentand the second image component on a display plate shape on the basis ofthe position and shape data to form the image pattern.
 8. A method ofmanufacturing a display apparatus comprising: forming a display platecomprising the steps of: processing a primitive plate to form asupporting portion having a positioning structure, a display plate shapeportion having a planar shape, and a connecting portion for connectingthe display plate shape portion to the supporting portion; forming anink-receiving layer on the surface of the display plate shape portion;ejecting and adhering a plurality of ink droplets onto the ink-receivinglayer based on the positioning structure to form a surface patterncorresponding to a desired image pattern; and cutting the connectingportion to separate the display plate; and incorporating the displayplate in an apparatus.